Photograph by Hiram Bingham 



A HILLTOP TEMPLE 



Among the ruins of lesser importance discovered in 1915 was this hilltop temple, located 

 in a commanding position about 4,000 feet above the bottom of the Urubamba Valley, near 

 Ollantaytambo. 



Small sticks were lashed at right angles 

 to the poles and where possible were 

 wedged into cracks in the face of the 

 wall. Brush and moss placed on this 

 support completed the bridge, which was 

 about two and one-half feet wide. 



"After crossing we' picked up the trail 

 as it left the cave, until a point was 

 reached where slides and dangerous 

 precipices made further progress abso- 

 lutely impossible. There was nothing to 

 do now but give up all attempt to get 

 through from this end. I therefore de- 

 cided to descend into the canyon, go to 

 Machu Picchu by the existing trail, and 

 work back from the ruins toward the old 

 road. 



"We finally came across an Inca road- 

 way leaving Machu Picchu by way of a 

 deep gully. Cutting was not difficult here 

 and we made rapid progress. The trail 

 was the finest example of Inca road con- 



struction that I had seen. The road 

 finally divided, one branch continuing up 

 the mountain side, the other traversing 

 its western slope. The latter proved to 

 be the desired trail. 



"After two days a path was finally 

 driven down the eastern slope to our little 

 bridge and the old road." 



A few days later I had the satisfaction 

 of picking up the old road where I had 

 left off some weeks before and complet- 

 ing my journey into the city over all that 

 is left of the ancient highway. 



ANOTHER OLD HIGHWAY 



The route followed by the early mis- 

 sionary priests on their visit to Yilca- 

 bamba the Old — a story referred to in 

 the February, 1915, number of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Magazine, on pages 

 180-183 — we realized, probably lay across 

 a large, unexplored area, unknown even 



